Exit 14 Construction, A Headache for Some

One business owner just off Exit 14 said he's frustrated with the construction that has spanned more than two-years. He said his business is suffering from it.

Ken Khosroabadi, owner of the Texaco right off Exit 14 said he's fed up.

"Right now my volume is 50% down from last year," said Khosroabadi.

He's blaming the slump on continued construction right in front of his business.

"We're losing [...] on a total gross sale, about $4000-$10,000 a day," he said.

Department of Transportation officials said there could be other factors at play.

"Certainly there's a lot of different variables besides construction that may cause his business to go down, the economy being one of them," said Gary Leaming, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation.

However, just across the freeway, workers at the 76 gas station said they're also suffering from the construction.

"It's definitely slowed down business," said Matthew Kandaris, a gas attendant at the 76 station.

Gary Leaming said the project has been delayed about five-months because of an unanticipated change in construction and signal plans, and in addition to that...

"It's got nice ornamentals to it, it's got art deco reflective of downtown Ashland. It's going to have colored concrete sidewalks [...] If it was just a matter of pouring gray sidewalk, we'd be done," said Leaming.

He said ODOT is being sensitive to the design requests of the Ashland Aesthetic Advisory Committee.

He said work should wrap up at the end of September. However Khosroabadi and other gas station workers said they don't have much faith.

"This is the 3rd or 4th deadline they give me...I don't believe any of what ODOT says," said Khosroabadi.

"Hopefully it'll be done by the end of the month. But when they say that we usually say it'll be three months," said Kandaris.

Meantime, ODOT officials said they stand by their deadline.

Leaming said spending two years on a bridge is not uncommon. If they were to speed up the process, that would mean taking money away from other road projects.

NBC 5 contacted four of the gas stations near the construction site, three said the construction negatively impacted business. The fourth would not comment.

Most of the work is scheduled to be done by September 27th. After that, small projects and landscaping will be left.